Improvement in trunks



UNITED o STATES PATENT QEEICE.

ALFRED V. RYDEB, OF NEW7 YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN TRUNKS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I. ALFRED V. RYDER, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement on Trunks, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specitication, and in which- Figure l represents a front view of a trunk constructed according to my improvementin a closed condition; Fig. 2, a side or end elevation of the same closed, Figs. 3 and 4, similar views of the trunk when open, and Figs. 5 and 6 vertical transverse sections of the same in its open and closed conditions.

Similar letters of reference indicate -corresponding parts.

My improvement has reference to trunks constructed substantially similar, as regards their general character, to one described in Letters Patent of the United States issued to ine on the 18th day of September, 1866, and in which the body of the trunk has its front upper or upper front portion made sectional by 'vertical and horizontal cuts dividing it from the remainder of the body, and said front upper or upper front portion hinged in its rear at top, so that it may be turned over upon the back upper portion of the trunk in opening the latter.

The nature of my invention, in this connection, consists, in combination with a hinged front Lipper or upper front portion, as referred to, of a back upper portion of the body having its front or drawers fitting therein constructed to bevel or recede in a downwardly direction, whereby while' a wide mouth, facilitating access, is given to the base portion ofl the body the hinged or opening and closing front upper or upper front portion may be light and strong, yet roomy, and the trunk-handles be attached direct to the sides or ends of the trunk at a convenient altitude and position without interference by or with the hinged front upper or upper front portion.

Said invention also consists in an advanced position relatively to a center line of said hinged front upper or upper front portion, whereby not only is room established for a direct attachment of the handles, but when such I), and horizontal cut or cuts c, the vertical or downward cuts b being nearer the front than the back ot' the body or trunk and longer than the horizontal or other equivalently-running cut or cuts c. This gives a light and strong character to the front upper portion,A, which facilitates the opening and closing ofthe trunk, besides giving better protection against outward thrust or pressure at its sides, and admits ot' the trunk-handles D being attached centrally direct to the sidesor ends ot'thetrunk at a proper and convenient altitude for carrying the tru'nk without interference by or with the opening and closing portion A; also, when the lid or portion A is inverted in the opening of the trunk, forms a shelf, S, in rear ofthe lid on the top of the portion B, for stowing papers or other articles out of sight between the lid and the wall. But this construction, were it not for a special contiguration or receding character given to the front ofthe rear portion, B, would choke 0r contract to an inconvenient eXtent the mouth el of the base or lower portion, C, that is shown fitted with a lid, E, and would give too little capacity to the front upper port-ion, A, whereas it is desirable that all three main compartments or portions A, B, and C should be roomy without objectionable size or shape to the trunk generally. I accordingly construct thefrontot' the rear portion, B, which portion may hetted with drawers F, of a receding character-say by beveling or sloping it downward toward the back of the trunk, so that it admits of a wider mouth, d, to the lower portion, G, than is due to the vertical cut Zi--that is, than were the faces of the drawers F of the rear upper portion, B, in line with the cut or cuts b-While such construction detracts but little from the capacity of the compartment or portion B, and establishes a nearer approximation to equality of capacity between the portions A and B with out ent-ailing a wide exposure atits sides or ends of the front upper portion, A, thereby reducing its liability to being forcibly pressed inward and giving room for a direct central attachment of the handles D to the body oi' the trunk at a proper altitude to prevent swaying ot' the trunk when being lifted or carried, like` wise rendering light and easy to open and close the hinged portion A, which, to open the trunk, is inverted or turned up over upon the rear portion, B, as represented in Figs. 3, 4t, and 6. The portion A is also shown as carrying a hinged tray, Gr, tted with a lid, e, and

having projecting from its front an extension,

f, of' the tray, and it may be pocket-book g, the shelving or receding ofthe faces of the drawers F or front of the rear upper portion, B, admitting of such projection 0r projections, which adds materially1 to the capacity of the front upper portion, A, within a light, strong, and compact construction of the shell or outer frame-work of said portion.

To prevent leakage of rain -through thejoint formed by the cut or division of the front upper form, the back upper portion-rubber or otherlikepacking-may beattachedorinserted beneath metal straps or bands arranged on the outside of the trunk and so as to overlap said joint.

What I here claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a trunk the body-of which is composed ofthree main portions or compartments, A B C, the front upper or upper front one, A, of which is hinged, as at a., and made to open and close, l

Witnesses:

J. W. Goor/ms, G. W. REED. 

